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Festival disruptions won't diminish St. Petersburg Pride

Re: Pride amid a protest, June 25.

As president of PFLAG Pinellas, I was honored to walk in the Pride Promenade along with members of PFLAG Pinellas, PFLAG Tampa and PFLAG Brandon. The sight of the whole community, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and straight, young and old, coming together to celebrate the diversity in our community, was truly heartwarming.

The protesters noted in the article were mean- spirited and hateful. They were not there just to protest. They were there to disrupt the event as much as possible. I spent a few minutes listening to the hurtful remarks and the misquotations from the Bible they spouted over their loudspeaker equipment. They made fun of hairstyles, clothing, appearances. They told participants they were going to hell. They stood beneath falsified Bible quotes promoting hate and bigotry within our community - not the love and understanding associated with Jesus.

I must restate how proud I was of St. Petersburg and the Pride festivities. Let's not allow a few small- minded protestors the power to ruin a great day for our city. I am proud to be a mother, friend and supporter of our sexual minority citizens. They contribute so much to our community.

Kathleen Miller, president, PFLAG Pinellas, St. Petersburg

Protesters don't deserve publicity

Re: Pride amid a protest, June 25.

It was with great sadness that I read your article covering the St. Pete Pride celebration. There were thousands of wonderful, love-filled people there and yet your paper decided to focus on the hate-filled people that came to disrupt the event.

By giving this group coverage and a picture in your paper, you have empowered them to continue their negative actions. Please, next year, if they return, don't give them what they want: a chance to spread their hate through your paper.

Rev. Lorraine Brock, St. Petersburg

Is a double standard in effect?

Re: Pride amid a protest.

In the era of "First Amendment zones," where dissenters or simple disagreeable T-shirts can be barricaded several blocks away from an event, why was hateful speech so acceptable for Saturday's St. Pete Pride festival?

The morning portion had been upbeat, with a feeling all were welcome from dressing in costumes to simply being a couple. Some Christians were already present with a message of love, but others arrived just to bring fury.

So it's fine to provoke, scream and disrupt the Pride festival while other assemblies rate metal corrals?

Celeste Behret, St. Petersburg

Pride coverage was skewed

Re: Pride amid a protest.

I am very concerned that your paper is presenting an inaccurate report of the events of Saturday's St. Pete Pride festival.

To put the event in its proper context: There were more than 45,000 people attending a beautiful and life-affirming celebration of our humanity toward one another. There were five people that voiced their opinions otherwise. No wonder people mistrust the media. The report made it appear that the protesters had a bigger effect than they did.

Get with it. Gay pride is so much more than a few protesters and some drag queens. Today we are families with children, co-workers and good neighbors. We worship in churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and out under the open sky.

Does St. Petersburg really want to be known as a place of intolerance and hate?

Julie McNeil, St. Petersburg

Don't blame the messenger

Re: Is "The Daily Show" bad for democracy? June 26.

The problem here is not that the Daily Show gives negative impressions of good politicians, but that it holds up to the light the foolishness, avarice, dishonesty and downright meanness that is already there. Jon Stewart's humor, while biting, creates nothing that is not already present.

Given honest candidates who had just the good of the nation in their hearts, Jon Stewart would be out of a job.

No, the danger to democracy is not in the gadflies but in those who would silence them.

It is always easier to blame the messenger.

Bruce E. Martin, Land O'Lakes

'Daily Show' is not a detriment

Re: Is "The Daily Show" bad for democracy?

What's this now? Jon Stewart and his crew of reporters are turning off youth with their irony, cynicism and sarcasm concerning the antics of our elected officials?

I find it hilarious that the article in question thinks so little of the youth of America. We're a generation of people whom elected officials tend to ignore and brush off. We're a generation of Americans who have grown up through scandal after scandal (Iran-Contra, the S&L fallout, Whitewater, Monica Lewinsky, 9/11 failings, Valerie Plame, etc.) and the article in question thinks that a TV show with a humorous take on the sorry state of affairs in this country is detrimental to democracy?

No, sir. What's detrimental to democracy is how little the older generations - especially the one in control - inspire the rest of us. It's detrimental that the Daily Show, which bills itself as "fake news," has been more biting and investigative than the mainstream media for the past six years.

John Fontana, Palm Harbor

When the people can't take it anymore

Re: Hometown Democracy means war is brewing, by Howard Troxler, June 25.

This "movement" shows two things:

First, this is an awe-inspiring country. For most nations on this planet, this kind of thing would be unthinkable. Of course, if you want to be cynical, you could argue that our standards are so low that even some modicum of "democracy" is perceived as laudable. I think it's some of both.

Secondly, when government becomes so corrupt that people can't take it anymore, then people can't take it anymore.

Kudos to Howard Troxler for so often being the only voice in the wilderness on so many important issues.

Lance Lubin, St. Petersburg

Containing postal costs

Re: Postmark change.

What lunacy reigns here? How about having a simple solution like a "Tampa/St. Petersburg" postmark and trying to contain our escalating postage costs? While we are at saving money, not even to mention fuel, do we really need full mail delivery six days a week, coast to coast?

Dorian Levy, St. Petersburg

People, protect your pets

If I have to read or hear one more story about a pet being eaten by an alligator, I am going to scream. What is wrong with dog owners that they would walk a dog close to a lake's edge in the state of Florida? I am not a person of extreme intelligence, but I know that dogs are great prey for an alligator and there is not a lake in the state that does not have at least one surviving at the water's edge. I am for charging dog owners for animal cruelty for this action.

Wake up, Floridians, and protect those dogs that trust you completely. Don't give another one of our precious pets carelessly for the fill of an alligator's stomach.

Debbie Barlow, Seminole

[Last modified June 28, 2006, 05:55:20]